Cancer incidence in eastern Adriatic isolates, Croatia: examples from the islands of Krk, Cres, Losinj, Rab and Pag

As an extension of previous research this study investigates the incidence of cancer in five genetic isolate island populations of the Eastern Adriatic, Croatia. Thorough anthropological research over the past three decades has established some of those populations as outstanding examples of genetic isolates. A previous study which found higher cancer incidence in 5 Eastern Adriatic islands than in a control population supported a hypothesis that among the founders of these populations there were genetic variants (especially with recessive inheritance) responsible for genetic susceptibility to certain types of cancer. This study sought to investigate cancer incidence in 5 further island populations. All cancer cases in five island populations (Krk, Cres, Losinj, Rab and Pag) over the 20-year period (1971 to 1990) was extracted from the data of the Croatian Cancer Registry. The mainland populations of Istrian and Primorsko-Goranska County, characterized by similar environmental factors but an outbred genetic structure, represented a control population. After standardization by by sex and age, cancer incidence was higher in the island populations than in the control population in both sexes. The cancer sites primarily responsible for the excess incidence were prostate, stomach and pancreatic cancer in males, and ovarian, breast, stomach, bowel, and brain cancer in females. The reasons for the increased cancer incidence are uncertain and may be due to different environmental exposure between the two populations. However, it is possible that genetic isolation and inbreeding are important factors. Further investigations of cancer in these isolate populations are warranted to explore these findings further.     

我国6个地方绵羊品种微卫星DNA多态性研究

利用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳技术研究了我国蒙古羊、乌珠穆沁羊、哈萨克羊、阿勒泰羊、滩羊和藏绵羊 6个地方绵羊品种 17个微卫星标记的多态性 ,以探讨其遗传多样性、起源分化及群体间的遗传亲缘关系。结果表明微卫星标记不同位点间遗传多样性差异极显著 (P <0 0 1) ,群体间多态信息含量 (PIC)、近交程度 (Fis)和观察杂合度 (Obs .Het)差异不显著 ,但基因多样性 (genediversity)和期望杂合度 (Exp .Het)差异显著 (P <0 0 5 )。所研究的我国 6个地方绵羊品种与欧洲品种具有相似的遗传多样性 ,但具有较高的近交系数。个体和群体的聚类分析结果提示我国地方绵羊品种可能起源于两类祖先。群体间的聚类分析结果还表明 ,蒙古羊与乌珠穆沁羊分化不明显且具有较近的遗传亲缘关系 ,蒙古羊与藏绵羊间分化明显且具有较远的遗传亲缘关系。滩羊、阿勒泰羊以及藏绵羊间也具有较近的遗传亲缘关系。所研究的我国 6个地方绵羊品种的遗传分化 (Fst)与西班牙绵羊品种接近 ,但明显小于欧洲其他绵羊品种     

Genetic diversity of Chinese indigenous sheep breeds inferred from microsatellite markers

To determine the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among Chinese sheep, 10 indigenous breeds and one introduced breed were genotyped for 19 microsatellite loci. The mean number of alleles per breed ranged from 5.44 (Guide Black Fur sheep) to 9.13 (Ujumqin sheep and Hulunbeier sheep), the expected heterozygosity varied from 0.623 (Guide Black Fur sheep) to 0.737 (Zhaotong sheep), and the allelic richness ranged from 5.169 (Guide Black Fur sheep) to 7.610 (Zhaotong sheep). The deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was statistically significant (P < 0.05) at three loci (SRCRSP5, OarAE129 and DYMS1) in most of the breeds. Chinese sheep breeds had maintained a high level of within-population genetic differentiation (95.23%), with the remainder explained by differentiation among populations (4.77%). The genetic differentiation pattern and genetic relationships among Chinese sheep breeds displayed a high consistency with the traditional classification. Both the Bayesian cluster and principal component analyses showed a reliable clustering pattern, which revealed three major clusters in Chinese indigenous sheep (Mongolian sheep, Kazakh sheep and Tibetan sheep), except Zhaotong and Guide Black Fur sheep. There were probably caused by different breeding history, geography isolation and different levels of inbreeding. This study will help to interpret the genetic characters of Chinese indigenous sheep and benefit to the future conservation programs.     

Genomic Diversity in Pig (Sus scrofa) and its Comparison with Human and other Livestock

We have reviewed the current pig (Sus scrofa) genomic diversity within and between sites and compared them with human and other livestock. The current Porcine 60K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel has an average SNP distance in a range of 30 - 40 kb. Most of genetic variation was distributed within populations, and only a small proportion of them existed between populations. The average heterozygosity was lower in pig than in human and other livestock. Genetic inbreeding coefficient (F(IS)), population differentiation (F(ST)), and Nei's genetic distance between populations were much larger in pig than in human and other livestock. Higher average genetic distance existed between European and Asian populations than between European or between Asian populations. Asian breeds harboured much larger variability and higher average heterozygosity than European breeds. The samples of wild boar that have been analyzed displayed more extensive genetic variation than domestic breeds. The average linkage disequilibrium (LD) in improved pig breeds extended to 1 - 3 cM, much larger than that in human (~ 30 kb) and cattle (~ 100 kb), but smaller than that in sheep (~ 10 cM). European breeds showed greater LD that decayed more slowly than Asian breeds. We briefly discuss some processes for maintaining genomic diversity in pig, including migration, introgression, selection, and drift. We conclude that, due to the long time of domestication, the pig possesses lower heterozygosity, higher F(IS), and larger LD compared with human and cattle. This implies that a smaller effective population size and less informative markers are needed in pig for genome wide association studies.     

Genetic analysis of Greek sheep breeds using microsatellite markers for setting conservation priorities

Ten Greek sheep breeds were analysed at 28 microsatellite markers in order to estimate their genetic diversity and differentiation. This study aims to provide information on the genetic structure of the breeds analysed and the ancestral populations, and give indications and proposals for the conservation strategies. The breeds included were the local sheep breeds raised in different regions of Greece. In total, 310 animals were sampled. Non-biased average expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.68 ± 0.134 (Skopelos breed) to 0.76 ± 0.103 (Karagouniko breed) with an average of 0.74, while the average observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.626 ± 0.132 (Skopelos) to 0.74 ± 0.135 (Kefallenias). Estimates of inbreeding coefficient (Fis) were significant for all breeds studied, except for Kefallenias and Lesvos breeds (P < 0.05). The results of the phylogenetic relationships are in accordance with the geographical location of the breeds, the history of the origin of the breeds and the breeding practices. The phylogenetic tree showed three groupings according to the bootstrapping values. Correspondence analysis showed the isolation of the Skopelos breed and the grouping of Sfakia and Anogeiano breeds in a separate cluster.     

Assessing genetic diversity and differentiation in Portuguese coarse-wool sheep breeds with microsatellite markers

Population structure and genetic diversity in the Portuguese native breeds of sheep Algarvia (AL), Badana (BA), Galega Bragançana (GB), Galega Mirandesa (GM), Mondegueira (MO) and Churra da Terra Quente (TQ), as well as the exotic Assaf (AS), were analyzed by typing 25 microsatellite markers in 210 individuals. The markers used exhibited high levels of polymorphism, with means for total and effective number of alleles per locus of 13.0 and 4.2, respectively, and an expected heterozygosity of 0.72 across loci. The mean number of alleles per locus and expected heterozygosity were highest in GM and GB, and lowest in AS. Exclusive alleles were found in 10 of the 25 markers analysed, mostly in the AS breed. The proportion of loci which were not in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in each breed ranged between 0.12 (GB) and 0.40 (AL and GM), mostly due to a lower than expected number of heterozygotes in those loci. All breeds showed a significant deficit in heterozygosity, which was more pronounced in GM (F_IS = 0.113) and BA (F_IS = 0.103), suggesting that inbreeding might be a major concern in these breeds. The analysis of relationships among breeds, assessed by different methods, indicates that AS and AL are the more distanced breeds relative to the others, while the closest relationships were observed between TQ with MO and GM with GB. The estimated F_ST indicates that only 0.049 of the total genetic variability can be attributed to differences among breeds, and this ratio dropped to 0.029 when only the native breeds were considered. The analysis of individual distances based on allele-sharing indicates that only AS and AL had a tendency for animals of the same breed to cluster together, while for the other breeds there was overlapping among breeds. The results of this study confirm that native breeds of sheep represent an important reservoir of genetic diversity, even though the level of differentiation among closely located breeds tends to be rather small. For several of the breeds analyzed, the levels of inbreeding currently observed cause some apprehension, and recommend the establishment of appropriate conservation strategies, aimed at minimizing inbreeding to avoid further losses of genetic diversity.     

Genetic diversity and bottleneck studies in endangered Bhutia and Manipuri pony breeds

For studying the genetic diversity and bottleneck problem in Bhutia and Manipuri pony breeds of India, we analysed DNA samples of 34 Bhutia and 50 Manipuri, true to breed, ponies using 47 polymorphic microsatellite markers. All the microsatellites were observed to be highly polymorphic in nature in both Bhutia and Manipuri breeds with mean no. of alleles as 8.702 ± 0.0493 and 8.416 ± 0.0548 respectively. Genetic diversity values in terms of heterozygosity values within individual breeds were also high with very low inbreeding (Fis 0.102 and 0.055 in Bhutia and Manipuri ponies, respectively). Number of alleles in both the populations together ranged from 3 to 18 with an average of 10.851 ± 1.583 per locus. The mean effective number of alleles was observed to 5.34 ± 0.253. All loci except ASB017 and HTG004 showed high values of allele richness (>5.0). The mean observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.7159 ± 0.022, 0.7986 ± 0.011 (Levene’s) and 0.7936 ± 0.011 (Nei’s), respectively. The high mean values of heterozygosity indicated the presence of high genetic diversity in both the pony populations. The overall mean value of within-population inbreeding estimates (Fis) was low (0.101 ± 0.023) indicating low to moderate level of inbreeding. Bottleneck studies revealed that no recent bottleneck problem has taken place in both the populations. Both pony populations were found to be in mutation drift equilibrium. The study reveals that both the pony breeds have high diversity and timely action needs to be taken to conserve them.     

Genetic diversity in the Churra tensina and Churra lebrijana endangered Spanish sheep breeds and relationship with other Churra group breeds and Spanish mouflon

The aim of the present study was to estimate the genetic intra-breed variability of Churra tensina and Churra lebrijana endangered breeds and to establish genetic relationships with Churra, Latxa and Merino breeds, as well as Spanish mouflon, by using 28 microsatellite markers, to provide useful information for their conservation. Allele frequencies and heterozygosity revealed high genetic variation in the two endangered breeds despite their small population size. Estimates of inbreeding coefficient (F_IS) were significant for all breeds studied, except for Churra lebrijana breed. The highest inbreeding coefficient (F_IS = 0.143) was found in the Spanish mouflon. Genetic differentiation tests (F_ST = 0.121) and assignment of individuals to populations indicated the existence of defined breed populations, and low genetic flow between these breeds. The highest pairwise Reynolds distance (D_R) values were observed between Mouflon and the domestic sheep breeds. Considering only domestic sheep breeds, the Churra lebrijana breed showed the highest pairwise D_R values_. The lowest values were found between Latxa and the other domestic sheep, except for Churra lebrijana. Results of pairwise D_R values, as well as phylogenetic tree and bottleneck analysis showed an important genetic isolation of the Churra lebrijana breed from the other Churra types, and genetic signatures of a demographic bottleneck. Finally, structure analysis of populations detected a population subdivision in the Latxa sheep breed. In conclusion, this study presents valuable insight into the existing genetic variability of two Spanish endangered breeds, as well as the first study in Spanish mouflon based on microsatellite analysis. The high degree of variability demonstrated in Churra tensina and Churra lebrijana implies that these populations are rich reservoirs of genetic diversity.     

Geographical partitioning of goat diversity in Europe and the Middle East

Thirty microsatellite markers were analysed in 1426 goats from 45 traditional or rare breeds in 15 European and Middle Eastern countries. In all populations inbreeding was indicated by heterozygosity deficiency (mean FIS = 0.10). Genetic differentiation between breeds was moderate with a mean FST value of 0.07, but for most (c. 71%) northern and central European breeds, individuals could be assigned to their breeds with a success rate of more than 80%. Bayesian-based clustering analysis of allele frequencies and multivariate analysis revealed at least four discrete clusters: eastern Mediterranean (Middle East), central Mediterranean, western Mediterranean and central/northern Europe. About 41% of the genetic variability among the breeds could be explained by their geographical origin. A decrease in genetic diversity from the south-east to the north-west was accompanied by an increase in the level of differentiation at the breed level. These observations support the hypothesis that domestic livestock migrated from the Middle East towards western and northern Europe and indicate that breed formation was more systematic in north-central Europe than in the Middle East. We propose that breed differentiation and molecular diversity are independent criteria for conservation.     

Multilocus genotypic data reveal high genetic diversity and low population genetic structure of Iranian indigenous sheep

Iranian livestock diversity is still largely unexplored, in spite of the interest in the populations historically reared in this country located near the Fertile Crescent, a major livestock domestication centre. In this investigation, the genetic diversity and differentiation of 10 Iranian indigenous fat‐tailed sheep breeds were investigated using 18 microsatellite markers. Iranian breeds were found to host a high level of diversity. This conclusion is substantiated by the large number of alleles observed across loci (average 13.83, range 7–22) and by the high within‐breed expected heterozygosity (average 0.75, range 0.72–0.76). Iranian sheep have a low level of genetic differentiation, as indicated by the analysis of molecular variance, which allocated a very small proportion (1.67%) of total variation to the between‐population component, and by the small fixation index (F_ST = 0.02). Both Bayesian clustering and principal coordinates analysis revealed the absence of a detectable genetic structure. Also, no isolation by distance was observed through comparison of genetic and geographical distances. In spite of high within‐breed variation, signatures of inbreeding were detected by the F_IS indices, which were positive in all and statistically significant in three breeds. Possible factors explaining the patterns observed, such as considerable gene flow and inbreeding probably due to anthropogenic activities in the light of population management and conservation programmes, are discussed.     

Unfolding of population structure in Baltic sheep breeds using microsatellite analysis

Studies of domestic animals are performed on breeds, but a breed does not necessarily equate to a genetically defined population. The division of sheep from three native and four modern Baltic sheep breeds was studied using 21 microsatellite loci and applying a Bayesian clustering method. A traditional breed-wise approach was compared to that relying on the pattern of molecular diversity. In this study, a breed was found to be inconsistent with a distinct genetic population for three reasons: (i) a lack of differentiation between modern Baltic breeds, since the majority of the studied sheep formed a single population; (ii) the presence of individuals of foreign ancestry within the breed; and (iii) an undefined local Saaremaa sheep was referred to as a breed, but was shown to consist of separate populations. In the breed-wise approach, only the clearly distinct Ruhnu sheep demonstrated low within-breed variation, although the newly identified Saaremaa populations also have low variability. Providing adequate management recommendations for the Saaremaa sheep is not possible without further studies, but the potential harmful effects of inbreeding in the Ruhnu sheep could be reduced through the use of two genetically related Saaremaa populations. In other breeds, excessive crossing appears to be a larger concern than inbreeding. Assigning individuals into populations based on the pattern of genetic diversity offers potentially unbiased means of elucidating the genetic population structure of species. Combining these genetic populations with phenotypic and aetiological data will enable formulation of the most informed recommendations for gene resource management.     

德宏水牛微卫星标记分析的群体遗传变异

德宏水牛是云南省地方水牛的优良品种之一,为了进一步阐明其群体遗传变异和遗传结构,筛选了分别位于水牛14条染色体上的15对微卫星引物,对德宏水牛81个个体进行了检测分析.共检测到62个等位基因,每个座位等位基因数目从2到6个不等,平均等位基因数为4.13,该水牛群体期望杂合度和多态信息含量分别为0.6520±0.1526和0.5863±0.1789,各座位的遗传分化系数在0～0.0919之间,平均值为0.0202.每个座位的基因流较大,平均12.1502.研究结果表明德宏水牛群体遗传多样性较丰富,亚群间的遗传分化程度低,基因流较大,且很少发生近交.     

薇菜SSR分子标记的开发及遗传多样性初步探讨

利用改良FIASCO法(Fast Isolation by AFLP Sequences COntaining repeats)开发出的9对多态性SSR引物评价了薇菜(Osmunda japonica Thunb.)2个野生居群(庐山和恩施)、1个栽培居群(恩施)的遗传多样性和遗传分化水平。结果显示,9个SSR标记在3个薇菜居群中共检测到47个等位基因,每个SSR位点的平均等位基因数为5.222个,观测杂合度和期望杂合度分别为0.000~0.944和0.577~0.834,香农指数为0.962~1.860,表明各SSR位点多态性较高;各居群的平均期望杂合度均大于平均观测杂合度且种内近交系数均为正值,说明3个薇菜居群中都存在非随机交配现象;对各居群的相关遗传多样性参数分析表明,恩施野生居群遗传多样性最高,而其栽培居群最低;庐山野生居群与恩施野生居群间遗传分化系数为0.092,说明两地野生薇菜居群的遗传分化程度较低,AMOVA分析也表明遗传变异主要存在于野生居群内部。     

Genome-wide DNA arrays profiling unravels the genetic structure of Iranian sheep and pattern of admixture with worldwide coarse-wool sheep breeds

Archaeological and genetic evidence show that sheep were originally domesticated in area around the North of Zagros mountains, North-west of Iran. The Persian plateau exhibits a variety of native sheep breeds with a common characteristic of coarse-wool production. Therefore, knowledge about the genetic structure and diversity of Iranian sheep and genetic connections with other sheep breeds is of great interest. To this end, we genotyped 154 samples from 11 sheep breeds distributed across Iran with the Ovine Infinium HD SNP 600 K BeadChip array, and analyzed this dataset combined with the retrieved data of 558 samples from 19 worldwide coarse-wool sheep breeds. The average genetic diversity ranged from 0.315 to 0.354, while the F_ST values ranged from 0.016 to 0.177 indicating a low differentiation of Iranian sheep. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 90.21 and 9.79% of the source of variation were related to differences within and between populations, respectively. Our results indicated that the coarse-wool sheep from Europe were clearly different from those of the Asia. Accordingly, the Asiatic mouflon was positioned between Asian and European countries. In addition, we found that the genetic background of Iranian sheep is present in sheep from China and Kyrgyzstan, as well as India. The revealed admixture patterns of the Iranian sheep and other coarse-wool sheep breeds probably resulted from the expansion of nomads and through the Silk Road trade network.     

Genetic variation of 5 SNPs of MC1R gene in Chinese indigenous sheep breeds

The purpose of this study was to assess genetic diversity, genetic differentiation relationship and population structure among 10 Chinese sheep populations using 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MC1R gene. The genetic diversity indices suggested that the intra-population variation levels of Chinese Merino and Large-tailed Han breeds were lowest than Kazakh Fat-Rumped. Chinese sheep breeds have maintained a high intra-population variation levels (95.23%). The genetic differentiation patterns and genetic relationships among Chinese sheep breeds displayed a high consistency with the traditional classification. The cluster trees were constructed by UPMGA method. The results showed that Chinese indigenous sheep populations have distinct genetic differentiation. The inter-population variation levels in Chinese sheep populations indicated three geographically independent domestication events have occurred. The Bayesian cluster analyses also showed a reliable clustering pattern, which revealed three major clusters in Chinese indigenous sheep populations (Mongolian group, Kazakh group and Tibetan group), except for Duolang and Minxian Black-fur. There were probably caused by different breeding history, geography isolation and different levels of inbreeding. The findings supported the related records in literature, ten sheep populations originated on different time stage from the primogenitor population and communicated genetically with each other in the process of natural and artificial selection, and in different ecological environment. It is concluded that Chinese indigenous sheep have higher genetic variation and diversity, genetic differentiation exist between Chinese sheep populations.     

Genetic diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ovis aries</Emphasis> populations near domestication centers and in the New World

Domestic sheep in Kazakhstan may provide an interesting source of genetic variability due to their proximity to the center of domestication and the Silk Route. Additionally, those breeds have never been compared to New World sheep populations. This report compares genetic diversity among five Kazakhstan (KZ) and 13 United States (US) sheep breeds (N = 442) using 25 microsatellite markers from the FAO panel. The KZ breeds had observed and expected measures of heterozygosity greater than 0.60 and an average number of alleles per locus of 7.8. In contrast, US sheep breeds had observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.37 to 0.62 and had an average number of alleles of 5.7. A Bayesian analysis indicated there were two primary populations (K = 2). Surprisingly, the US breeds were near evenly split between the two clusters, while all of the KZ breeds were placed in one of the two clusters. Pooling breeds within country of sample origin showed KZ and US populations to have similar levels of expected heterozygosity and the average number of alleles per locus. The results of breeds pooled within country suggest that there was no difference between countries for these diversity measures using this set of neutral markers. This finding suggests that populations’ geographically isolated from centers of domestication can be more diverse than previously thought, and as a result, conservation strategies can be adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, these results suggest there may be limited need for countries to alter the protocols for trade and exchange of animal genetic resources that are in place today, since no one population has a unique set of private alleles.     

Evaluation of genetic diversity and population structure of west‐central Indian cattle breeds

Evaluations of genetic diversity in domestic livestock populations are necessary to implement region‐specific conservation measures. We determined the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships among eight geographically and phenotypically diverse cattle breeds indigenous to west‐central India by genotyping these animals for 22 microsatellite loci. A total of 326 alleles were detected, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.614 (Kenkatha) to 0.701 (Dangi). The mean number of alleles among the cattle breeds ranged from 7.182 (Khillar) to 9.409 (Gaolao). There were abundant genetic variations displayed within breeds, and the genetic differentiation was also high between the Indian cattle breeds, which displayed 15.9% of the total genetic differentiation among the different breeds. The genetic differentiation (pairwise F_ST) among the eight Indian breeds varied from 0.0126 for the Kankrej–Malvi pair to 0.2667 for Khillar–Kenkatha pair. The phylogeny, principal components analysis, and structure analysis further supported close grouping of Kankrej, Malvi, Nimari and Gir; Gaolao and Kenkatha, whereas Dangi and Khillar remained at distance from other breeds.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of an insular tree, Santalum austrocaledonicum in New Caledonian archipelago

We present a study of the genetic diversity and structure of a tropical tree in an insular system. Santalum austrocaledonicum is endemic to the archipelago of New Caledonia and is exploited for oil extraction from heartwood. A total of 431 individuals over 17 populations were analysed for eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 33 and the observed heterozygosity per population ranged from 0.01 in Mare to 0.74 in Ile des Pins. The genetic diversity was lowest in the most recent islands, the Loyautes, and highest in the oldest island, Grande Terre, as well as the nearby small Ile des Pins. Significant departures from panmixia were observed for some loci-population combinations (per population FIS = 0-0.03 on Grande-Terre and Ile des Pins, and 0-0.67 on Loyautes). A strong genetic differentiation among all islands was observed (FST = 0.22), and the amount of differentiation increased with geographic distance in Iles Loyaute and in Grande Terre. At both population and island levels, island age and isolation seem to be the main factors influencing the amount of genetic diversity. In particular, populations from recent islands had large average FIS that could not be entirely explained by null alleles or a Wahlund effect. This result suggests that, at least in some populations, selfing occurred extensively. Conclusively, our results indicate a strong influence of insularity on the genetic diversity and structure of Santalum austrocaledonicum.     

Genetic profile of the locally developed Meatmaster sheep breed in South Africa based on microsatellite analysis

This report is on the development and genetic distinctiveness of the Meatmaster, a locally developed South African composite sheep breed. Genotypes of 175 Meatmaster sheep were compared to genotypes of 242 individuals from six putative parent breeds and an outgroup. All comparisons were based on 10 microsatellite loci. No significant breed-specific alleles were found for the Meatmaster or most of the parental breeds. Nevertheless, a Bayesian-based assignment test placed 69.4% of Meatmaster individuals in clusters distinct from the well-defined breed-specific clusters of the parent breeds. Population differentiation from R_ST values showed low differentiation among the four Meatmaster populations (0.004–0.028), higher values for pair-wise combinations of Meatmaster populations and the parent breeds (0.051–0.194), and the highest values among Meatmaster populations and the outgroup: Namakwa Afrikaner (0.237–0.301). Clustering in a dendrogram placed all Meatmaster populations in distinct clusters with strong bootstrap support (97%). Trends from a hierarchical analysis of total variation confirmed some distinctiveness in the Meatmaster, with 2.315% of total variation found among Meatmaster populations compared to 11.455% among breeds. High levels of heterozygosity and numbers of alleles in Meatmaster populations indicated good retention of genetic diversity during the potential bottleneck created by selection in its early history. Results are discussed with reference to genetic distinctiveness in this developing breed, the genetic contribution of the Damara as a common ancestor, conservation of genetic diversity and an application for future genetic management for the Meatmaster breed.     

Genetic Polymorphism and Bottleneck Analysis of Balkhi,Hashtnagri, and Michni Sheep Populations Using Microsatellite Markers

Pakistan is rich in sheep genetic resources. Balkhi, Hashtnagri, and Michni are neighboring sheep populations found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. In this study, we analyzed the genetic structures and bottleneck incidents within these sheep populations using 31 microsatellite DNA markers. Total numbers of 116, 100, and 95 alleles, with average numbers of 3.20, 3.26, and 3.74 alleles per locus were observed, respectively, in Balkhi, Hashtnagri, and Michni population. Mean observed heterozygosity was 0.402 in Balkhi, 0.416 in Hashtnagri, and 0.522 in Michni population. All the three sheep populations showed significantly high inbreeding. Michni population was found to be in mutation drift equilibrium, showing the absence of genetic bottleneck. The data of Balkhi and Hashtnagri indicated the presence of genetic bottleneck in these populations. These results suggest a moderate level of genetic diversity within Michni population that may be useful for breed improvement programs. Hashtnagri and Balkhi populations having low within breed genetic variability may contain some valuable characteristics that need to be conserved.